College Sports Blog

The Longhorns provided an official response to the news that co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin is taking the head coaching job at Arkansas State.

“[Bryan] has done a tremendous job for us, and we appreciate all the energy he’s poured into our program the past two seasons. He’s a bright young coach with great enthusiasm and passion for the kids and the game. He’ll do a tremendous job at Arkansas State,” head coach Mack Brown said in a statement.

“Because of the great support and resources DeLoss Dodds, Bill Powers and The University of Texas provide us, our coaches are well compensated and in a position that they can focus all of their energy on our program and be patient when it comes to future opportunities. We’re excited for Bryan because after visiting with the folks at Arkansas State, he feels like it is a great situation for him. We’re happy any time our coaches have the opportunity to be a head coach. I think that is a great reflection of the types of coaches we are fortunate enough to have in our program.”

Harsin interviewed with the Red Wolves on Tuesday. Arkansas State’s last two head coaches, Guz Malzahn and Hugh Freeze, spent one year in the position before jumping to head gigs in the SEC (Auburn and Ole Miss, respectively). Malzahn took the Red Wolves to a 9-3 record this season.

Though he’s technically only the co-coordinator, Harsin works with the Texas quarterbacks, calls the plays and answers to the media. He’s been in Austin for two seasons. His first year, the Longhorns had the No. 54 total offense. This year, thanks to improved quarterback play, they were No. 37.

Harsin, formerly a quarterback and offensive coordinator at Boise State, has spent two seasons in Austin. His salary in 2012 was $675,000. Malzahn made a reported $850,000 at Arkansas State.

Also official is Major Applewhite’s promotion to main play-caller. Applewhite is still a co-offensive coordinator, however, with Darrell Wyatt stepping into a co-coordinator position. Offensive line coach Stacy Searels is elevated to assistant head coach for offense. Tight ends coach Bruce Chambers is now the recruiting coordinator (he had originally shared the role with Wyatt). The Longhorns will look to hire a running backs coach.

A popular Longhorns quarterback from 1998-2001, Applewhite joined the Texas staff as a running backs coach in 2008 after stints as offensive coordinator at Rice and Alabama. He was promoted to co-offensive coordinator in January of 2011 on the heels of Harsin’s hiring and the firing of Greg Davis. Applewhite, 34, was a quarterbacks coach at Syracuse in 2005 and a graduate assistant at Texas in 2003 and 2004.

Wyatt was named wide receivers coach and co-recruiting coordinator in January 2011. He has a breadth of experience, particularly in the Big 12 conference, with gigs at Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Baylor. He spent two years in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. Wyatt is a Kansas State graduate.